owly over the bush
behind which we were ensconced, with their long necks stretched straight
out, and their heads a little to one side, looking down for their
friends. Upon discovering their mistake, and beholding two human beings
instead of geese within a few yards of them, the sensation created among
them was tremendous, and the racket they kicked up in trying to fly from
us was terrific; but it was too late. The moment we saw that they had
discovered us, our guns poured forth their contents, and two out of the
flock fell with a lumbering smash upon the ground, while a third went
off wounded, and, after wavering in its flight for a little, sank slowly
to the ground.

Having bagged our game, we proceeded, and ere long filled our bags with
ducks, geese, and plover. Towards the afternoon we arrived at a tent
belonging to an old Indian called Morris. With this dingy gentleman we
agreed to dine, and accordingly bent our steps towards his habitation.
Here we found the old Indian and his wife squatting down on the floor
and wreathed in smoke, partly from the wood-fire which burned in the
middle of the tent, and partly from the tobacco-pipes stuck in their
respective mouths. Old Morris was engaged in preparing a kettle of
pea-soup, in which were boiled several plover and a large white owl;
which latter, when lifted out of the pot, looked so very like a skinned
baby that we could scarcely believe they were not guilty of cannibalism.
His wife was engaged in ornamenting a pair of moccasins with dyed
quills. On our entrance, the old man removed his pipe, and cast an
inquiring glance into the soup-kettle; this apparently gave him immense
satisfaction, as he turned to us with a smiling countenance, and
remarked (for he could speak capital English, having spent the most of
his life near York Factory) that "duck plenty, but he too hold to shoot
much; obliged to heat howl." This we agreed was uncommonly hard, and
after presenting him with several ducks and a goose, proposed an
inspection of the contents of the kettle, which being agreed to, we
demolished nearly half of the soup, and left him and his wife to "heat"
the "howl."

After resting an hour with this hospitable fellow, we departed, to
prepare our encampment ere it became dark, as we intended passing the
night in the swamps, under our canoe. Near the tent we passed a
fox-trap set on the top of a pole, and, on inquiring, found that this
was the machine in which old Morr